The Reluctant Crow
by BibbityBoppityBoots
Summary: Hinata's aspirations to be the next Small Giant were buried with his loss at the Junior High National Competition, with his days at Karasuno looming ahead, Hinata must choose again whether to refuse the call of the ball or learn to move past his loss and take his place among the Crows of Karasuno.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: So this is my first fanfic in a while and I've been writing this late at night. Personally I'm not happy with the quality of it and its way too short but I wanted to post this small part to get a feel for the general reaction.**

 **Anyways, I hope you enjoy and please remember to R &R :)**

A boy flies. Arm cocked back, body tensed like a spring about to burst forward, the boy soars. Hair streamed around his head, orange feathers fluttering around his scalp. He floated up, head to the net and further still; never satisfied. He would spike harder, blast through any blockers… win. He would soar ever higher. At the apex of his jump Hinata's eyes open, adjusting to the light and the court and the space on the other side of the net perfect for –

A tall, tall wall loomed in front of him. Grasping hands stretched over the net, smothering him. Those hands threatened to take the ball, to rip it away from him and tear Hinata away from the court. To the stands to watch other teams go further. To watch other players jump and hit and _win_. His green jersey flashed as his arm whipped forward, spiking it with all the might he could muster.

The ball slammed into the outermost blockers arms, blasting down on Hinata's side of the court. It landed just outside the lines, a block out.

"Yes!" Hinata yelled, accompanied by the cheers of his teammates and the few bystanders that had come to watch the Junior High National Tournament.

"Way to go, Sho-chan!" Izumi ran over to him, slapping him happily on the back, "But…"

They both glanced at the score board that read "Karasuno 13 – 23 Kitagawa Daiichi". They were still only two points away from elimination; he was still only two mistakes away from having to stop playing.

"Don't worry, Izumi!" Hinata proudly gestured towards himself with his fun, grinning, "I can still jump!"

His smile was luminous, compared to the ashen looks of his teammates, faces that had indistinct features that blurred and fuzzed.

The moment ended as the referee signalled for one of the first years to serve. With a weak smack the ball floated lightly over the net, allowing a frighteningly tall Kitagawa Daiichi player to easily send the ball to that also taller famous setter, Kageyama; the so-called king of the court.

Sharp eyes surveyed the court before the ball was sent careening towards the right wing where the spiker (an extremely tall guy even for normal people standards with a head like a turnip), barely, touched the ball over.

Another one of his first year teammates knocked the ball up in an uneven arc towards Izumi who shuffled clumsily to get underneath it.

"Sho-chan!" He called out, bracing himself to attempt to imitate Kageyama, just like Hinata had told him to. With all his will, he believed in Shoyo's ability to get the ball; as long as he could get it up near him.

But as he pushed outwards with his arms, his hand flicked in the wrong direction sending the ball spinning off to the other side of the court. Despair welled up within him, no-one was there. All the first years and those who didn't _really_ know how to play volleyball and were only there for Shoyo had crowded around the ball like complete amateurs.

The ball travelled fast with a low arc, seemingly skipping on air a few inches away from the net. Suddenly Hinata was there, body a blur with eyes of blazing brown. It was just for a single moment but for a second everyone in the gym could feel a pair of animalistic eyes bearing down on them.

He swung.

The ball catapulted forwards at an absurd speed, streaking past a half block and the faces of his shocked opponents. Before slamming into the ground and bouncing off at speed towards the side of the gym.

For a few seconds it seemed to Hinata as if the only sound in the gym was the sharp slap of the ball hitting the ground at the side as he stared at the referee judging the back line. After a moment of deliberation the referee waived away the point. One more mistake.

"Shoyo…" Hinata turned to see a blurred out Izumi facing him, "We can't do this anymore. Volleyball isn't even our sport! The only one that wants to be here is you."

Hinata flinched, "Izumi… We can still win this! I can still jump! It's not over – It's not over till the ball hits the floor on our side one more time!"

Izumi shook his head, fading away leaving Hinata standing there gaping, "No! I want to keep playing… I want to keep jumping!"

But Hinata was alone on his side of the court, facing a towering wall of hands.

-(x)-

Hinata awoke with a start, alarm ringing through his bleary eyed awakening. He shook the sleep out of his head, stumbling unevenly to his feet as he stretched his arms out above his head. Hinata languidly rolled his shoulders and kicked his feet out, hopping a few times on each foot before he did a few test jumps. Even as he tried to dispel the images of his nightmare from his mind he shuddered. Goosebumps still peppered his skin and the sound of a volleyball bouncing echoed in his ears.

Hinata's head snapped to the side to look carefully and a calendar hanging crookedly on a recently cleared walled. All the days before a certain circled one had been crossed out leaving today as his first day at Karasuno. He hurriedly snatched up his alarm to check the time. Despair filled his fragile heart as his previously excited face morphed to one of hopelessness. It was his fourth alarm, having slept through the previous three. This left him with no time for the breakfast he was desperate for and even without it he would have to rush.

The following minutes saw a surprised sister and mother watched bemused as Hinata sprinted around the house getting ready; finally leaving as fast he could on his bike towards school and his first day.

Even then memories lingered…

Of the last time he had touched a volleyball.

 **AN: Yay. It's short, I know but hopefully you enjoyed it.**

 **R &R.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Another short chapter. I'm sorry :(**

 **R &R**

Hinata tapped his pen restlessly against his notebook. The lid was still on the pen and the page was empty but his mind was elsewhere. Really, it wasn't _his_ fault he didn't understand English, he was Japanese! But his lack of talent for languages wasn't what was keeping his mind away from the endlessly droning teacher.

It was clubs. Already a week into his new life at Karasuno and Hinata hadn't yet chosen an activity to follow. It was compulsory to take a club but Hinata found himself with a lack of inspiration. He lacked the mental creativeness or physical dexterity to take many less active clubs, such as calligraphy and sports… well there was only one sport that had ever appealed to Hinata.

There was no doubt Hinata missed volleyball; the heft of the ball against his hand, the looks on the blockers faces as a mere 162 (and a bit, as he always emphasised) centimetre boy hit it from above their block.

But he was also terrified of the sport. Something had taken root deep inside him; his friends who he'd spent so much time convincing to come in the first place had given up on him before the game was even over. Although they had not understood the term, Hinata had been their ace. And when the ball hit the court for the final time in his junior high career he had failed them.

The fear had done something to him. Initially he had tried to continue to practice but it just wouldn't work. It wasn't for lack of physical effort but he couldn't _jump_. His feet were tied to the ground and he was consigned to watching the ball float over his head.

Eventually, for the first time in Hinata's experience with volleyball, he had given up. His shoes lay untouched with a layer of dust covering them under his bed and a ball sat, deflated, in an empty corner.

Hinata grimaced, maybe he'd just be stuck with something like art after all. It seemed better to him than some boring tea ceremony and writing; more interesting at least.

Outside, through one of the windows, he could just about see Karasuno's gym. He imagined himself going through the closed doors and up into the air; soaring higher than ever before. A ball set perfectly, spinning slightly in the direction it had come from. Hinata still remembered it. How time would stop and he could _see_.

Hinata jumped as he startled away from daydreaming, brought back to the ground as the bell went off and the class representative thanked the teacher. He quickly packed his school stuff away, cramming it in as quickly as possible. If he left quickly enough he could get away before the volleyball team started practicing.

Often, when he wasn't fast enough, Hinata would hear the thwack of a well hit spike echoing out from inside; or the thump of a receive. It made his stomach churn and his feet lurch towards the doors but he'd always stop himself. Too afraid, too nervous.

"Hinata-kun," A kind voice called out behind him as he left the room. It was Ittetsu Takeda, the teacher who he had just been ignor- listening to avidly, "My reports say that you still haven't chosen a club"

Hinata froze. His head turned to face the teacher, face going pasty white, "Uh," he stammered, "Really? I could've sworn I…" He trailed off, belatedly realising he hadn't thought far enough ahead to make up an excuse.

Takeda laughed quietly, eyes closed and hands raised in a placating gesture, "I'm sure you're okay Hinata-kun. It's just some of my colleagues have mentioned to me that they're… worried about you having not committed to a club yet"

In response Hinata bobbed his head up and down rapidly, giddy with the knowledge that he wasn't being chastised, "I will! I will! I just," He stuttered slightly, "don't really know where to start."

The teacher blinked, "There are so many you could try! There's baseball –"

"I hit the captain in the face." Hinata interrupted sullenly, head drooping.

"With the ball? I imagine that must've hurt, you apologised I'm sure and I'm certain he'd let you keep playing." Takeda reassured, hands waving at a rapid speed. Hinata heard some students chuckling at the young teachers hand movements.

Hinata sunk down further into his uniform, "… With the bat."

"What?"

"I hit him with the bat, not the ball. It just," he paused for a second, "slipped out of my hands."

Takeda's hands had frozen, resting in the air in front of Hinata's ashen face, "I see," he said slowly, his brain clearly was finishing rebooting, "Well there are many more clubs. I know you're only interested in joining a sports one. The basketball club is still looking for members."

"I tripped the entire team over with the balls. One of them has a sprained ankle…" By this point Hinata looked as if he wanted to stuff himself into his school bag too.

"Hockey?"

"Got stuck and tangled in one of the goals for half an hour. They had to cut me out!" Honestly, it wasn't his fault the ground was so slippery.

"…Badminton?" Takeda's hands got lower and closer to his sides every time he asked about a sport, his face grew more and more mortified.

"Broke seven of the club's rackets in one session."

Takeda sighed, rubbing his forehead with his hands, "I know this is a sore subject with you," he started, Hinata flinched and started backing away, "But I know you were very good at volleyball back in Junior high," Takeda started speaking faster and faster seeing the tension increasing in Hinata's posture, "And the team is still looking for recrui-"

Hinata bolted, legs pumping as he took off as fast as he could. He ignored the cries of the students and Takeda-sensei, jumping down steps four at a time on his way down the building. Dreading the next day he fled from the nice teacher, knowing that the next day would only be worse.

Chest heaving he reached his bike. He unlocked it, checked no-one was following and began to push it towards the gates; attempting to act as nonchalantly as possible. Luckily it seemed no-one had decided to pursue; it wasn't like Takeda-sensei didn't know Hinata would have to come back the next day.

Too late he realised that he could hear the distinct sounds of volleyball emanating from the gym. Too late did he realised that he had, in his haste to get away, wheeled his bike to just outside the gym.

Where volleyball was being played.

 **A/N: Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it. So… yeah, inconsistent updates. Sorry about that.**

 **Please R &R :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: So… it's been a while. Oh well, unfortunately everyday life takes priority over this; despite how much I would love to write full time. I hope you enjoy, please R &R.**

Hinata tried to ignore how much the noises called to him. Every bounce a knot around his ankles, every spike a weight dragging him back and every cheer a taut noose around his waist. He tried and he tried but they were a siren song luring him. Irresistable.

Letting out a great groan, Hinata stopped his progress up the towering hill. He was already half-way up; there was really no reason to turn back. He knew - he _knew_ \- it would only hurt but the thought of volleyball tore at him. He shook his head, burning orange hair swaying in the silent air.

Already half-way, it would just be a waste to turn around now…

But what would watching just this one time hurt?

-(x)-

'Eh?! What's he doing here?!' Hinata yelled mentally, faced pressed up against the window.

Inside the hall, on the other side, stood the raven haired player he'd lost against at the Junior High National Competition. Just the sight of the boy's cold eyes that swept the room while he stretched sent shivers down Hinata's spine. Flashes of looming hands swept across his vision, the feel of a volleyball in his hand, the pure satisfaction of spiking and flashes of standing alone on his side of the court.

Hinata flung his mind from the past, shaking his head wildly as the vivid sounds of an intense volleyball practice swept out of the gym. Even through the thick glass of the window the increasingly noisy yells went practically undiminished; until a large man with short, slightly spiked black hair responded with his own bellow. Hinata snickered, clearly he was the captain as the other boisterous members of the club stood ramrod straight.

Soon the whole squad was involved in exercises. Diving all over the floor - almost crashing into each other at points, some of them seemed to having for too much fun for the exercise, a fact the captain was quick to point out with a quivering brow - and sliding. Digging, the captain himself was clearly the best at this but all of the others were no slouch.

Next came setting and hitting… Hinata would adamantly refuse that he was hopping on the spot at the thought.

Sure enough the boy with raven hair that he'd played against before - Hinata was fairly certain his name was somehow similar to Bakayama - stepped up to one side of the net; while a grey haired boy, shorter boy stepped up to set on the other side. When the hitting started Hinata could almost feel himself in there with them.

The rush of rising higher above the net, swinging hard and down, the feel of the ball balanced for a split second in the palm of his hand and the view he missed the most. The view from the top.

But he could _see it_. The whole court laid out before him, the block left far behind - below - him. Cold glass pressed harder against Hinata's skin as he pushed himself further forward. Just a bit closer - just a bit closer to the court. His body itched to stand on that court, any court, just once more; only one more time.

And then a hand swooped across his eyes and in a rush opened the window leaving him hurtling forward, and through

-(x)-

All in all it had been a good start to the year, Daichi thought to himself, everyone was working hard - some more than others, his eyes twitched violently to Tanaka - and with the added star power of Kageyama their attacks were really coming together.

However Daichi knew it wasn't enough as he watched his team moving through the set practices, occasionally yelling for someone or another to calm down - Tanaka- or stop verbally attacking other members - Tsukishima, the tall first year. They didn't have enough hitting power or defense to get to Nationals, let alone win it… without their ace or their ever vibrant libero.

Just a few minutes into spiking practice Kiyoko was opening some windows to let some fresh air in. The ever beautiful manager had just expertly ignored another of Tanaka's roucous compliments when an orange haired kid came in, quite literally, head over heals through a now open window.

The gym fell silent. Kiyoko blinked. Daichi blinked. The whole team froze as a ball that had just been set impacted the ground with a thunderous crack. The boy, who Daichi began to realise was very short, sprung himself up from his position on his back and promptly turned white as a ghost.

"Hinata-kun?!" The teacher and advisor sprung to his feet from the chair that was right next to the window the boy - Hinata - had tumbled through, "What're -"

As if the teacher's voice had snapped whatever reverie the wild haired boy was in the boy straightened while shivering slightly, "Um - I - This isn't -"

Abruptly, Hinata sprinted off towards the door at break neck speed. He needed to get out of here, he needed to get away. He had almost reached the door, hand out-stretched for the handle, when the tall, blonde, Tsukishima blocked his way.

With a loud puff the air was knocked out of Hinata and he bounced backwards onto the ground.

"Oops, sorry" The blonde spoke without a trace of an apologetic tone, a sadistic smirk cracking his face, "I didn't see you there."

Hinata blinked up at him, once, twice, before a great frown settled on his face. With a mighty heave he pushed himself up with just his arms, seemingly gliding in the air for a few split seconds at head height with the comparatively massive blonde.

"Hey! What's your problem you big basta-!" Hinata stopped abruptly in the middle of his tirade, remembering where he was and who he was with.

Without another word he turned and ran towards the other side of the court before taking a hitting approach and launching himself up towards the balcony. With most of his torso easily clearing what would have been the top of the net, Hinata just managed to clasp his hands around the metal bars on the viewing platform. He hauled himself up, clambering over the banister and, without looking back, darted away down one of the corridors.

The gym was filled him silence again.

"...He does know that there's no exit up there right?" The calm voice of Sugawara cut the silence before a window upstairs was heard being slammed open and a yelp came from outside a few seconds later.

The whole team felt an inhumanly large bead of sweat rolling down their heads as they looked outside and saw the tiny orange boy hobbling away, pushing a bike, before climbing on a pedalling away at speed.

"What," Daichi spoke in a baffled tone, "just happened?"

-(x)-

 **A/N: Yeah so it's been a while. Sorry, no real excuse or reason to believe that these will come any faster. I'm sorry :( Anyway, I don't want to rush too fast into Hinata becoming involved in the team as I feel it won't provide a real enough change to canon Haikyuu. Hinata's abilities will definitely be tampered with and hopefully satisfying changes will occur! Anyways, thank you for reading and, until next time, please R &R.**


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